DETROIT – It's their first New Year's Eve game in a few years and the Detroit Red Wings certainly could use a strong win in regulation against the New Jersey Devils at Joe Louis Arena.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, MSG Plus, MSG Plus 2 (New Jersey), FSN Detroit
After this, it's a road trip to western Canada for games in Vancouver, Edmonton and Calgary, followed by stops in D.C., Buffalo and St. Louis. The Red Wings won't play at the Joe again until Jan. 17.
Red Wings (19-9-9) look to put Bruins game behind them
Coach Mike Babcock made it clear he was not happy with his team's effort Monday night in Boston. The Bruins outshot the Red Wings 45-30 on their way to a 5-2 win. It was 3-1 at the end of the 1st period.
"We're grown men; we should know how to prepare," Babcock told reporters. "We got to be better than this. Not good."
The Red Wings have dropped seven of their last nine games (2-3-4) despite a strong power play (10-of-26 chances over the past eight contests). They usually have the edge in shots, which is known to be a misleading statistic many nights.
It's Detroit's 40 faceoff wins to Boston's 24 that are more surprising. Winning in the faceoff dot should mean a better outcome than a 5-2 loss. However, the Bruins took advantage of turnovers and found it much easier to get pucks on net while blocking 13 shots at the other end.
Jimmy Howard is expected to get the start Wednesday night. With Jakub Kindl (elbow) on IR, 21-year-old Xavier Ouellet has been recalled. Ouellet likely will take the place of Brian Lashoff, who played in Kindl's place Monday night.
Tomas Tatar and Gustav Nyquist lead the team with 15 goals each. Pavel Datsyuk has a point in his past four games and a total of 27 in 26 games this season.
Devils (13-18-7) try to avoid downward spiral
Coach Peter DeBoer was fired before the holiday, leaving behind a Devils team still searching for some kind of identity. Their best player is 42-year-old Jaromir Jagr, who has 6 goals and 15 assists.
To ensure a brighter future in the Garden State, the Devils need more young threats such as 24-year-old Adam Henrique (10 goals, 11 assists). They beat the Pittsburgh Penguins, 3-1, Monday night and will have to face the Montreal Canadiens on Friday.
Cory Schneider will be between the pipes. He is 1-4-1 with a 3.50 goals-against average versus the Red Wings.
This is the third of three meetings between Detroit and New Jersey this season. The Red Wings won the first two -- 4-1 Nov. 7 in Detroit and 5-4 in the shootout Nov. 28 in New Jersey.
The Wings' western Canada road trip begins Saturday in Vancouver.